About Us

The Band

The Prairie Winds Concert Band has become a community favorite since it was established in 1961, and has been invited to play at church services, in shopping malls and at a variety of community events. There are two regular concerts per year, and a variety of special events throughout the year, such as clinics and workshops, provide members with opportunities for growth. Many members also look forward to regular after-band relaxation at a nearby establishment. 

The Members

Intermediate band members have many levels of experience, ranging from adult beginners, to those who have been away from their instrument for many years, and to those who wish to take up another instrument. 

While some Senior band members are graduates of the adult beginner and intermediate programs, many others played instruments in high school, and still others continue to play in various post-secondary programs - or even professionally. Note that Senior in this case refers to the experience level, not the age of the members!  

The band provides all members with a musical and social outlet, complimenting their other pursuits, be they post-secondary education, careers and/or parenthood – or even retirement.

 The Opportunities

Potential members should know that the Prairie Winds Concert Band is not for everybody. There is a place for the shy, the brazen, the quiet, the boisterous, the intellectual, the party animal, the old, the young, the musically gifted, the serious, and the happy-go-lucky. Our minimum age is 18 and the maximum is more a matter of personal preference than a number. 

Those who come back to music after several years often discover there is no antidote for stress like playing in a band.  “It’s completely different from everything else I do,” says one member.  Band members have often been described as “recycled teenagers” – the essence of remaining young at heart no matter your chronological age.  

 The History 

Back in 1961, while Bob Mossing was teaching clarinet lessons, he sometimes noticed lipstick smudges on his students’ reeds.  When asked where they came from, invariably the answer was “Mother was playing too”.  Then and there Bob discerned the need for an adult musical group, and the Regina Lions “Parents” Band was formed.  With a membership of 39, they played their first concert on May 2, 1962. 

The group, which was known as the Regina Lions Adult Band for many years, has won gold medals, plaques and awards in various music festivals. As well as concerts, highlights over the years have also included road trips to many communities in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and North Dakota, including Winnipeg, Fort Qu’Appelle, Minot, Bismark, Williston, Wolseley, Indian Head, Kipling, Grenfell, Bengough, Moose Jaw, Davidson, Saskatoon, Yorkton, North Battleford, Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton.